Galaxy Z Fold 7 after 4 months: is it worth the money?

Four months ago, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 was the hype of the year: a big, bright display and a design that seemed so slim and flawless it appeared to break the laws of physics. After four months in my pocket, on my desk and in my hands, here is the unvarnished truth. I’m leaving out the specs, you already know them. This is about wear, downsides and unexpected upsides. My four questions: How is the durability? How often did I use the inner display? How does the battery hold up? And would I buy it again?

Durability: hinge and body

After four months, I’m still thrilled with the form factor. You can unfold the Z Fold 7, but you don’t have to. It sits in the hand like a normal smartphone, and that’s the biggest difference from its predecessors. Closed, it’s as thick as a normal smartphone, and open, it’s the thinnest tablet ever.

• Hinge: It’s as stable as at the start, with no signs of loosening, and it holds at any angle. Only now and then there’s a slight creak when opening it. I didn’t have that at the beginning.
• Crease and inner display: The crease hasn’t gotten deeper, the inner screen protector isn’t lifting, and there are no cracks. With foldable displays, we’re at a very good point. How the display holds up after one or two years, we’ll only see then.
• Body: I’ve used it without a case from the start and dropped it several times, on carpet, a wooden floor and asphalt. It sits unprotected in my bag with keys and sharp objects. Hardly anything happened: minimal wear on the corners that you don’t see at first glance, and an additional notch above the front camera. I would have expected far more battle scars. I’m especially impressed by the matte black back, which seems to be above any scratch.

My biggest design complaint: When the Z Fold 7 lies closed on the table and I want to use the display, it wobbles as soon as I so much as get near it. Because of the narrow camera bump on the side, it wobbles diagonally across. That’s a nightmare. With a case it’s less bad, but then it’s no longer as thin, and I’m into thin and light, which is why I got it. Lying open on the table, on the other hand, it’s no problem.

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In the middle of the video, I presented the new Anker Prime products, the power bank and the wireless charging station. That is an ad. The links were in the video description.

The inner display: barely used

Now it gets embarrassing, because I spent almost €1,700 on a smartphone to have a big inner display. I had imagined using it as a laptop replacement, typing with a keyboard in a café like a pro. In reality I’ve hardly used it:

• Unlike with the predecessors, you don’t have to unfold it. Closed, it can be used wonderfully like a normal smartphone.
• I can’t get along with the keyboard on the inner display. There are lots of settings, a keyboard across the whole screen or a split one, but none fits my typing flow. When I prop it up, I hang over the small part like a monkey on a grindstone. For writing, I’d rather close it.
• Unfolded, I use it for scrolling through web pages and for reading, and it’s great for that. Watching a video in bed in the evening is awesome, and I don’t want to miss it anymore.
• Instagram is a pain, because you can’t properly see half of the Reels. I’m hoping for an adjustment.
• My personal mega flex: hanging the Z Fold 7 on the seat back in front of me on the plane and having my own screen at eye level. That has little to do with the inner display.

Performance and battery

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is still blazing fast after four months, and new AI features from Samsung or Google run without problems. The battery has 4,400 mAh, which isn’t great, but I haven’t noticed a decline after four months. I get through more than a day and often still have 30% in the evening. I should add: I’m mostly at home on Wi-Fi and don’t use the big display much. On the go, with a podcast or music on the plane, Google Maps and the camera, I make it through a day, which then can’t be much longer in the evening.

Camera

I was positively surprised by the camera. There are better smartphone cameras on the market, but for my everyday life of random photos and videos, a bit of social media and home use, it’s more than sufficient.

Buying decision

Would I buy the Z Fold 7 again, knowing what I know after four months? Yes, but a bit disillusioned. The scenarios I had imagined for the unfolded device when I bought it didn’t happen. But there are other moments: when I snuggle into bed and watch one more video, or when the seatmate on the plane nods appreciatively. Together with the everyday-capable battery life and the sturdy, outrageously slim design, I don’t want to miss it anymore.